MyPillow chief executive and election denier Mike Lindell gives a thumbs up as he passes by a rally for supporters of former President Donald Trump, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Attorneys who've been defending Lindell against defamation lawsuits by voting machine companies have asked for court permission to quit, saying he owes them unspecified millions of dollars and can't pay the millions more that he'll owe in legal expenses going forward. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
DENVER, Colo. (KFGO CBS NEWS) – It’s now been over four years since the 2020 election but the conspiracy theories about that election continue to have an impact.
Chaska, Minnesota-based MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s defamation case begins Monday in a federal courtroom in Denver, Colorado. Lindell was sued with defamation after he accused Colorado-based voting software company Dominion and one of its employees, Eric Coomer, of rigging the 2020 Presidential Election.
Both vigorously deny the accusation, calling Lindell a “vector of disinformation.”
Lindell, a Trump loyalist, and his media outlet, are accused of pushing dangerous, impactful conspiracy theories.
The trial could take several weeks. Lindell could take the stand later this week.
Lindell is also facing another voting machine lawsuit, from Smartmatic in Minnesota. The case is ongoing, with discovery and legal proceedings taking place. One recent report noted that Lindell was found in contempt for failing to produce documents requested by Smartmatic.
The various lawsuits against Lindell and MyPillow have cost the company millions. In January, a Minnesota judge ordered MyPillow to pay nearly $778,000 for unpaid bills and other costs to package delivery service DHL, which had sued the company.
Attorneys who’ve been defending Lindell against defamation lawsuits sought court permission to quit at one point, saying he owes them unspecified millions of dollars and can’t pay the millions more that he’ll owe in legal expenses going forward.
Last year, a court ordered the eviction of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used, but Lindell said at the time that it’s just a formality because the landlord wants to take the property back.
Also last year, a federal judge affirmed a $5 million arbitration award against Lindell in favor of a software engineer who challenged data that Lindell said proves China interfered in the 2020 U.S. presidential election and tipped the outcome to Joe Biden.
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